Stories

In praise of examined lives

Paul Bunner
March 1, 2015
The Spring 2015 Edition of C2C Journal is like nothing else we – or any other magazine that we know of – have ever done. It is a fascinating collection of political biographies by a dozen Canadian writers, young and old, men and women, conservative and liberal, English and French, well-known and unknown. Each piece explores the influences and epiphanies that shaped the writer’s political evolution. By turns poignant and hilarious, touching and courageous, and invariably introspective and insightful, these essays speak to the journeys we all take to political conviction and engagement.
Stories

In praise of examined lives

Paul Bunner
March 1, 2015
The Spring 2015 Edition of C2C Journal is like nothing else we – or any other magazine that we know of – have ever done. It is a fascinating collection of political biographies by a dozen Canadian writers, young and old, men and women, conservative and liberal, English and French, well-known and unknown. Each piece explores the influences and epiphanies that shaped the writer’s political evolution. By turns poignant and hilarious, touching and courageous, and invariably introspective and insightful, these essays speak to the journeys we all take to political conviction and engagement.
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter

C2C Journal Spring 2015 Cover-Final

The unexamined life is not worth living.”

 – Socrates

Whenever I meet a new or aspiring politician – and I meet a few of them as a journalist and speechwriter – one of the first questions I ask is, “Why are you running?” Many of them, I’m sorry to say, don’t appear to have given it much thought. Usually they get around to saying something about a “desire to serve,” and “to make our [city/province/country] a better place.” These are great – and hopefully sincere – motives, but they don’t really tell me enough to decide whether they’re worth voting or working for.

The ones who really stand out as having thought about their political convictions are the storytellers. They describe momentous events in their lives, books or people who influenced them, and other transformative experiences which shaped their beliefs and inspired them to set their careers and families aside and start knocking on strangers’ doors, begging for money, giving speeches euthanized by party hacks, taking cheap shots from Internet trolls, and suffering all the other indignities that politicians endure.

The elementary idea that democracy is best served by people who believe in something is the inspiration for this edition of C2C Journal. When we put out the call for submissions a couple months ago it prompted a huge response. That should be no surprise, someone sarcastically observed, when you ask writers to write about themselves. What we got, however, was not a riot of narcissism, but a collection of thoughtful, honest, humble and interesting biographies that mirror the journeys we all take to political conviction and engagement.

As well as being posted online at C2CJournal.ca, this special, expanded edition of C2C will be distributed to each of the 1,000-odd delegates attending the annual Manning Networking Conference in Ottawa March 5-7. Several of the writers will be joining me at a session where everyone will be encouraged to tell a story about “How I Got Here.” Since the conference is populated by political activists, journalists and academics from across Canada, it promises to be a lively, stimulating discussion. If you’re a delegate, we hope you’ll stop by our session on Saturday morning and join in.

Included among the contributors is Rainer Knopff, the political scientist and member of the “Calgary School” of conservative academics. His story is a delight to read, a tale of love and Plato, of philosophical evolution from left to right, and of providential happenstances that determined his destiny. Also at the Conference will be former federal Conservative cabinet minister Monte Solberg, whose essay in this edition evinces his gift for humour and reveals how his father, a can of Gold Water beer, and William F. Buckley, rescued him from Saskatchewan socialism at a very young age.

Ottawa journalist Brigitte Pellerin will share her story about her journey from political activism to political ennui, a sad tale of disenchantment with our contemporary democratic choices. More hopeful, at least for conservatives, will be lawyer Paul Beaudry’s countercultural narrative about a lonely right-wing francophone flourishing in a sea of Quebec leftism.

Not on hand, regrettably (but perhaps understandably), will be lawyer and former Prime Minister Jean Chretien advisor Warren Kinsella, whose provocative essay in this edition answers the vexing question about how someone from Calgary can become a Liberal.

Other contributors to this edition include Bernd Schmidt, whose political beliefs were forged in the ruins of post-war Germany and the revolutionary cauldron of the Sixties; Jeremy Cherlet, a Millennial whose political consciousness begins with 9-11 and lies entirely within the Internet age; Elizabeth Nickson, whose political biography is a breathtaking romp through New York, London, South Africa, and 400 years of North American colonial history; and Colby Cosh, the Maclean’s columnist whose story about getting bitten by the libertarian bug at a young age also illuminates why he has become such a uniquely interesting voice in Canadian journalism.

If there’s a constant running through these narratives it is the profound influence of literature on political evolution. With that in mind, as well as the Manning Foundation’s mandate to stimulate more a greater political engagement among Canadians, we invite readers to pass on this edition of C2C to others – especially young people – in hope that some of these stories will ignite their interest and involvement in the political process. With any luck, some of them will go on to become politicians who know why they’re running.

~

Paul Bunner is editor of C2C Journal.  His political journal ranged from writing press releases for peace group at 25 to writing speeches for a Conservative prime minister at 50.

Love C2C Journal? Here's how you can help us grow.

More for you

The Housing Market Isn’t Racist. Blame Your Parents Instead

Diversity may be our strength. But it is now alarmingly commonplace in Canada to blame any perceived diversity in outcomes between racial groups on vaguely-defined “systemic racism” or “white supremacy”. Case in point: the Federal Housing Advocate’s allegations of rampant racism in Canada’s housing market, and the need to address it with outlandishly disruptive policies. Delving deep into Statistics Canada’s ample supply of race-based data, Peter Shawn Taylor considers the evidence for racism in Canadian housing, education, income and poverty statistics, and finds a more convincing explanation much closer to home.

Young Offenders: Meet the Angry Socialists Poisoning Our Politics

Social media is widely blamed for poisoning the public conversation on a range of topics – especially politics and contentious social questions. But there’s a possibly even more dangerous force growing on the internet: an online community of YouTubers and livestreamers spouting far-left dogma, praising political violence and denigrating their opponents as evil, far-right fascists. Using fallacious arguments, psychological manipulation and overheated rhetoric, they seek to radicalize young people and convert them to their cause. Millions are tuning in, and mainstream “progressive” politicians are jumping on their bandwagons. Noah Jarvis profiles three of these socialist crusaders and explains why they are such a threat.

The Worrisome Wave of Politicized Prosecutions

Shaping criminal charges, bail decisions or prison sentences around an accused person’s political or religious beliefs is utterly odious – a hallmark of tinpot tyrannies and totalitarian hellholes. Such practices have no place in any constitutional nation, let alone a mature democracy that presents itself as a model to the world. But that is increasingly the situation in Canada, writes Gwyn Morgan. Comparing the treatment of protesters accused of minor infractions to those of incorrigible criminals who maim and kill, Morgan finds a yawning mismatch that suggests political motivations are increasingly a factor in today’s criminal justice system.

More from this author

Good News From C2C Journal

C2C Journal is pleased to announce that thanks to the loyal and generous support of our readers, contributors and donors, the Journal is immediately increasing volume and frequency of original stories and essays, expanding staff, unveiling a redesigned website, and launching a sustained social media marketing push on multi-media platforms. Editor Paul Bunner has the details.

One step forward, two steps back for freedom

When he wasn’t kayaking on or swimming in the North Saskatchewan River near his home in Edmonton, C2C Journal editor Paul Bunner spent some of his summer fighting two battles for little freedoms in his local community. He won one and lost one. Although he’s a veteran political activist at the federal and provincial level, Bunner contends that the lifeblood of democracy must be nurtured at the foundations of society if it is to flourish at the top.

The Last Front Page

The rapidly shrinking newspaper business raises all kinds of questions. What will we wrap fish guts in? How will we light backyard fires? And where will we get reasonably accurate and important stories about what’s going on in our community, our country, and the world? The internet? Where global editor-bots decide what’s news? Where politicians can lie with impunity? Where fake news outsells real news? The short answer is yes. The longer and more encouraging answer is in the Spring edition of C2C Journal, which launches today with editor Paul Bunner’s lead editorial and career newspaperman Paul Stanway’s lament for the ink-stained wretches of yesterday’s news.

Share This Story

Donate

Subscribe to the C2C Weekly
It's Free!

* indicates required
Interests
By providing your email you consent to receive news and updates from C2C Journal. You may unsubscribe at any time.